With this years focus event being the Alpe D’Huez triathlon, I decided that some riding up and down proper mountains maybe in order. My local mountains are, well, not mountains, more small hillocks. So I decided that as I had a spare week (my family were going off with my extended in laws and I was excused) what better plan than a week in the Pyrenees!! I hadn’t been there before so it would be whole new experience, filled no doubt with fun, frolics and bike riding.
Having invested a large sum of money In a new campervan last year, this was to be a road trip. Hopefully a road trip that had a far better conclusion than last years in which the wheel fell off the said campervan (note: have since taken to routinely checking the wheel nuts with the regularity of my daily ablutions).
As I’d not been to the Pyrenees before, I didn’t really know where to start, so of course I started where everyone else does these days with Google. Quite remarkably it took some more imaginative searches than just “cycling in the Pyrenees” to get anything meaningful.
Probably the best source of information you can find (also a good reference point when you are there) is on this chaps website. [insert link]
What’s great is it gives you the detail of all of the major climbs across the Pyrenees including some suggested routes. In conjunction with two Michellen maps [reference], I worked out a fairly loose place to base myself in order to avoid having to drive at any point (apart from moving location for one specific climb). And anyway I felt the 750 miles I covered to get there was sufficient driving. Should also add that I “cut things a bit fine” generally. On this occasion I was the last vehicle on the ferry with 1 minute to spare. No need for that level of self induced stress.
A broad plan was to ride the famous Tour de France climbs of;
- Col d’Tourmalet
- Hautacam
- Luz Ardiden
- Col d’Aspin
- Col d’Aubisque
- Col de Soulor
- Plateu de Beille
I used Argeles de Gazost as my first base. This is a good town it’s got all you need (bars, restaurants and a massive Casino supermarket). It links thorough to Lourdes with a really nice flat cycle path that is used on a number of rides. Lourdes has the advantage of a Cafe Leffe. Which sells Leffe obviously.
I used a campsite called Deth-Post. Reculantly given the name and my arrival was slightly less than ideal as I’d driven about 750 miles and the first thing I did was stand in a massive dog shit as I started to unpack the van. I moved pitches and spent a good half hour scraping my foot across the floor, indicating to fellow campers “maird” for the avoidance of doubt as I resembled someone with a mild physical disability.
The facilities at Deth-Pots are more than adequate including wifi. Although the Wifi zone wasn’t cutting edge. Warm shower block, washing up facilities etc and a swimming pool (too early in the season to be open).
And so that was my base for five days of riding. I shall now comment on each day’s ride with separate blog posts and some photos I took either on a piss poor camera phone or later on in the trip my GoPro which I imaginatively mounted under my handlebars.
What?!? With these feet 